The Story Behind the Artwork on Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’

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As told by the mighty Peter Saville. What quite a few people don’t know is that the famed image on Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures is actually a visualization of a pulsar picking up sound from the far reaches of deep space. Check within for the full, mezmerising low-down on one of the most iconic record covers of all time.

Brought to you by the Visualized conference that takes place on the 8th and 9th of November in New York, this brilliant little video is a concise in-depth look into how post-punkers Joy Division found the visualization of the signal from a pulsar in an astronomy book and asked the then young Peter Saville to put it on the cover of their debut album.

It’s also quite the awe-inspiring look into how different mediums can influence each other and, more specifically, how the translation of sound into image still appears to be an area within the art & technology continuum that holds a great deal of potential.

If this video is anything to go by, the Visualized conference should be well worth your time.

Go check it out if you happen to be in New York from the 8th-9th of the coming month.